This article was originally printed in BAI Banking Strategies on May 15, 2013. Using customer data at the point-of-sale with eligibility analytics can help banks implement a simpler and more efficient sales process.

My background is in the software world where sales are very competitive and sales teams are focused on closing the deal. Every lead was vetted and followed up and entire companies would rally around the sales team just to help them make and close that big sale.

Apple, Nordstrom, and Amazon have been using analytics to personalize the selling experience for years. Whether you are shopping online at Amazon or working with an Apple or Nordstrom sales rep, analytics about you and your shopping preferences are working under the covers to guide you to products that you are likely to purchase.

It doesn’t look like 2013 is going to be a breakout year for most of retail banking. According to a recent report by Banking Strategies, A Look Ahead to U.S. Retail Banking in 2013, the coming year looks like it will be a replay of 2012, with less than favorable market conditions for strong growth.

We all know that branches are under productive. We all know that we have to move branches to a sales store and not just a transaction shop. Our own Chairman, retired CEO of Diebold and as Cleveland Federal Reserve Chair, Bob Mahoney, has been talking about this for over a decade.